RGR 2011: 130 Miles. 11000 ft. of climbing (so says strava). 26 teams start and 7 finish the entire route intact. We were one of those 7 (the last) and here's how we all felt about it:
••What was your favorite part of the race?
ADNAN: The finish. Despite all of the hard stuff, the boys rallied and finished together and finished well, despite the [NAME RETRACTED] team falling off in front of us on the last climb.
ERIK: The camaraderie of our team. I can't think of a nicer group of guys with whom
to spend the whole day on a bike, especially in such trying conditions.
AND they all sported team issue GründelHammöcks in the
pool! Another highlight.
RYAN: The top of every gravel hill. That and seeing how the team really helped each other get through it.
STEVE: I'm not really sure about that. It still blends together in my mind as one big sufferfest. I suppose the camaraderie is what I look back on most about any RGR. I could go out and ride silly miles any time, but it wouldn't be the same without the team aspect of the race.
DAVID: Riding with the team was really nice. The commitment to just keep plowing ahead was powerful. We had casually discussed that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to miss the cut off time and be sent back early. However, when we got to the Nuun stop and heard we could go on, there was no question, no discussion about what to do. Just keep riding.
I do have to make a special call out to Chip. After I decided it was time to quit fighting it and just purge my stomach, he stood dutifully by as I booted beside the road with him uttering words of encouragement. I believe it was, "Wow! Impressive volume."
CHIP: The sound that David's vomit made. Seriously, the first couple of wretches were pretty dry-heavey, but the next couple were absolutely stunning. Perhaps it was my jealousy that I knew it meant his stomach would soon feel better and mine was just getting worse, but I laughed for minutes about that sound of liquid meets grass and gravel. I did not look.
GEOFF, THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT GURU: While it’s true that I didn’t actually ride this year’s RGR, I would like to say that my favorite part was discovering that the new Rapha Country Jersey™ is available in white with German flag accents. Its Sportwool construction means that sweat passes right through and the robust pocket construction keeps your payload stable.
•••At which point, if any, did the thought of abandoning the race occur to you?
CHIP: Abandoning to me was only a fear. My one and only goal, since the first year of the RGR has been to finish with the team intact and having fun. I was thinking for a while around mile 90 that we might not make it, and I was okay with that, but upon reaching the Nuun checkpoint and everyone wanting to continue I gave up all thoughts of the abandon and focused on surviving with all six.
DAVID: I never really questioned finishing, but regularly questioned my sanity for continuing on.
STEVE: I had these thoughts repeatedly beginning about half way through. But I knew that the pain of abandoning would be a lot worse than the pain of continuing. And whenever I felt really bad, someone picked me up, with some positive support, or by distracting me with their own problems.
RYAN: I never seriously considered abandoning it, but during the last major climb on pavement, I just about melted down in the direct sun. Shade became a very valuable commodity.
ERIK: It was about an hour after foolishly deciding to stop eating the disgusting, melted energy bars I had been carrying. It was on the last big climb of the day, and after a longer-than-usual roadside pause to re-gather the team, my body wanted to shut down. Upon remounting the bike, my vision tunnelled, my legs lost uphill power and my lips went numb. Weird. It took some Shot Blocks and whatever water I could scrounge to get me going. I
even forced down a bar, at which point I was back! Sprint up the final hill? No problem.
ADNAN: Never. For me, the last 30 miles were the easiest.
GEOFF, THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT GURU: You know, not many people attempt the RGR in a car, but I was up for the challenge. Getting safely around riders was challenging, but with the window up, I felt insulated and safe, just like I feel when I zip into the Rapha RCS Team Issue Rain Jacket with its taped seams, long tail, and fleece-lined zip guard.
••••Which part(s) of your body hurt the most afterward?
RYAN: My right leg/hip from eating shit at mile 100. Yay gravel-rash.
ERIK: Honestly, nothing. I rallied to play (and win) our championship hockey game on Monday night. Gotta love compression tights...
CHIP: Other than amounts of fatigue generally reserved for new mothers post natural child birth it was Ironically my gründel. I do believe it was likely all those washboard descents that caused the bruising...
ADNAN: My bum and my quads. I got some nice cramps in the car on the way home.
DAVID: Legs, on account of all the cramping they had been doing all day. Honestly, though, nothing hurt that much. It was the effect of the heat that made the riding hard. One of the benefits of being out there so long was that the temperature started dropping. I felt better at mile 120 than I did at mile 80.
STEVE: My gründel (seriously) and my triceps, most likely from all the gravel descents. I was surprised that there wasn't more muscle pain afterward, just full body fatigue.
GEOFF, THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT GURU: Yep, just watching all of you guys out there, I couldn’t help but think how much I hoped everyone took the time to apply Rapha Chamois Crème to their gründels.
••••Person or team you met during the RGR and liked:
DAVID: Everyone had a smile on their face and was clearly in the spirit of the day. Bumping into the always-friendly crew from the Ira Ryan team was nice. Watching Tina rally the Upper Echelon team was impressive. She is a certifiable bad ass.
Best of all, however, was riding with Adnan. Sure, he may have been bored (and a little frustrated?) with our pedestrian pace, but his early prodding, encouragement and pulling probably got us to past the cutoff point. After he figured out that no amount of persuasion was going to make me go up the hills any faster, he settled in for the cruise.
STEVE: I spent most of the race hurting too much to be very outgoing. But everyone our there was willing to give me a smile and some words of encouragement.
ERIK: While most of the people riding past us were too focused for small talk, those whom we passed or leapfrogged were happy to socialize.
I especially liked talking with the Upper Echelon and Ira Ryan ladies and the good people of Team Beer. Jeff Johnson and I enjoyed a great reunion.
ADNAN: Bearded guy from the Rapha team who bummed some food off me. He was SO thankful.
CHIP: There was a whole pile of awesome out there this year for sure. The Ira Ryan women were amazing and upbeat, Tina and the Upper Eschelon team were fun to listen to, and the Donkelope guys managed to get me to laugh at mile 120, but really I'd have to go with Autumn. Something about a smiling woman giving you a shoulder massage at mile 75 or so that's impossible not to like. I met her, and I liked her.
RYAN: The Upper Echelon ladies were fun to ride with for a while and it's always nice getting Team Beer's own brand of encouragement. Really the best moments were with individual people on long climbs, giving each other smiles of encouragement.
GEOFF, THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT GURU: Everyone was just so warm and friendly…not unlike the warmth I feel on winter days when I put on my ultra-cozy Rapha ¾ Length ThermoRoubaix bib shorts.
••••If you have done RGRs in the past, how does this one compare?
STEVE: The route was harder. It seemed to have more gravel. I didn't like the idea of the start and finish being in the same place, but it worked well.
ERIK: This was harder. In particular, the amount of uphill gravel, that did not allow
out-of-the-saddle climbing. And the amount of downhill, washboard gravel, that worked the triceps, deltoids, finger muscles,... Hard, but a great challenge.
CHIP: I have done all 4 of the NW RGRs and I'd say this one was the toughest. This year we took off much more aggressively than we have in the past. We knew ahead of time that there would be a cutoff not allowing us to finish and I think it pushed us harder than we would have normally gone. Well, that and Adnan being wise enough to know that we should take advantage of the cooler morning air.
ADNAN: N/A
DAVID: N/A
RYAN: T'was my first. Probably won't be my last.
GEOFF, THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT GURU: I did the two RGRs before this one, and I’m going to have to say that the V-8 power and full time all-wheel drive with traction control made this one easier. More than that, though, I have to say I was helped most by my stylish Rapha + Paul Smith cycling cap with anti-bacterial tape and eyelets for improved temperature control.
••Any suggestions for improvement?
CHIP: Nope.
ADNAN: Make sure the county are not striping the roads during the KOMs
DAVID: Since Rapha clearly controls the weather for this, I would go with the other extreme for next year. Think Andy Hampsten over the Gavia. Snow, ice and somehow rain all mixed together. Wait, who am I kidding? That would be too easy for an RGR.
Really, though. Either more water at checkpoints or more towns/stores to refuel.
The critical mileage error for the last Plaid Pantry hurt. I heard other riders saying they finished their bottles at mile 84 thinking they would pull into Plaid Pantry, only to have another 10 miles to go. We suffered.
Having the loaner GPS was wonderful. It saved us from a lot of reading and likely some missed turns.
STEVE: I really enjoy the spirit of the RGR. I think that spirit comes out even more in the point-to-point race (like 2008 Lolo Pass RGR) with no set course and only a couple of checkpoints for the teams to pass through. That style of race adds another element that has been missing since first year. The task of coming up with your own route adds a whole new element to the team dynamics of the race.
ERIK: Be sure to know the actual mile mark at which the final Plaid Pantry (or similar) sits. We heard 85. It was 95.
The actual vertical rise might be nice to know too. Not totally necessary though.
RYAN: if there's a vital final stop, make sure the mileage on it is correct. That and have a bit more water at the Nuun stops. There comes a point when the idea of more electrolytes begins to sound pretty awful.
GEOFF, THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT GURU: I think we can all agree that cyclists in general would be happier if they could spend more time logged onto www.rapha.cc to enjoy an easy and rewarding shopping experience. Oh, also, I’m a fan of the point-to-point formats for the RGR, in general.
